


Falling Back With You

by This_is_Riri



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Human AU, Journalists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-05-21 21:16:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14923007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_is_Riri/pseuds/This_is_Riri
Summary: Life has a funny way of giving you what you need, even if you don't want it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own The vampire diaries or the character. I just make them puppets in my stories.
> 
> My first Human AU.

Stefan Salvatore walked through the doors of the Mystic post ready to start yet another day. There was nothing quite like doing something you loved, he supposed it was true what they said, your job doesn't feel like work if you love it or something to that effect.

He was the co-editor in chief there along side his best friend Matt Donovan, they started the paper right after college and it's become very successful in their sleepy town of Mystic Falls.

He was sitting at his desk in his office when his assistant, Elena Gilbert, walked in and closed the door behind her. "Good morning, Mr. Salvatore" she said seductively as she walked around his desk and straddled his lap. "Miss Gilbert, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Mhm, nothing really, I just wanted to give you this" she said leaning down to kiss him and they did that for a few minutes before he became self-conscious and pulled away. "We can't do this here".

"You're right, I actually did come in here to tell you that the new hire is here" she said getting off of him. They've been doing, whatever this is for a few months now. They didn't label it, they were having fun that's all there was to it.

"New hire?" He asked confused, he didn't know anything about a new hire. "I don't know what to tell you, boss, but Matt asked me to send her resume and contract to HR about a week ago and I did".

"Alright, thanks Elena" he said getting out of his desk, fully intending to have an overdue conversation with his partner about doing stuff behind each other's backs. He really didn't mind that Matt found a new investigative journalist to replace Katherine Pierce, but it couldn't have hurt to run it by him first.

He was almost to Matt's office when Caroline called out to him. "He's not in yet genius, that's why he needs you to brief the newbie" Caroline said from her desk in front of Matt's office and Stefan groaned.

"When is he/she getting here?"

"She just walked through the door" Caroline said putting emphasis on the pronoun and pointed to the door the young lady was hastily walking through looking flustered. Stefan stood there paralyzed the moment he saw her because there could be a sea of people there and he would still easily point her out.

She hadn't seen him yet and she seemed flustered, like it took a lot for her to get there and Stefan took the time to get a good look at her. She looked exactly the same, and yet completely different, her hair was shorter and her body was fuller with age, but all he saw was the beautiful teenage girl he knew all those years ago. Bonnie Bennett had a way of drowning you without even saying a single word if you weren't paying attention.

"I'm so sorry I'm late I was on the train, but missed my stop so I had to buy another ticket to come back this way..."

"You're fine" Caroline said with a bright smile. She hadn't noticed that the air around them changed the moment Bonnie saw Stefan standing in front of her and it was like she'd gone back in time. She'd known she was going to see him, but she thought she'd be more prepared for it. It's why she took this job, Matt Donovan had been so impressed by her that he hired her on the spot so she came back, but she wasn't sure what she was looking for yet.

"Stefan Salvatore, this is-"

"Bonnie Bennett" he said cutting off the blonde and Caroline noticed that he wasn't even looking at her, choosing to stare at the woman in front of him.

"Hi Stefan" she said shyly and couldn't stand the intense look he was giving her. "Do you two know each other?" Caroline asked finally noticing the tension between them.

Stefan was the first to break from the trance they were in and finally tore his eyes away from her. "No, I just looked at her file" Stefan said in a cold tone that cut right through Bonnie's heart and she almost lost her breath. She doesn't know if it reflected on her face or not, but she schooled her expression anyway when Stefan looked at her again. Caroline didn't believe him though seeing as he didn't even know if she was a man or woman just a minute ago, she didn't mention it though, it was none of her business.

Stefan led her to his office then and went to sit behind his desk. "I don't know what offer Matt made you, but this is how much we can afford so take it or leave it" he said as she awkwardly sat down and watched him slide a piece of paper over to her, careful not to touch her. She didn't need to look at the piece of paper to know that she'd take the offer either way. "It's fine".

"You didn't even look at it".

"I don't need to look at it, I want this job" she said and that seemed to agitate him. "Why? Why do you need this job? Why did you come back here?"

"I came back for you" she said quietly, slowly, looking right at him and that made him laugh, but there wasn't any humour in his voice. "Really? Cause the last time I saw you couldn't get away from me fast enough so please forgive me for not jumping for joy".

"Stefan-"

"Don't" he said dangerously low as he cut her off. "Don't call me that, I'm Mr. Salvatore to you, your employer and nothing more". He called his assistant in before she could respond and decided to let it go. "Please take Miss Bennett to HR to sign her contract and show her to her desk".

He was supposed to do more, he was supposed to tell her about deadlines, how everything worked, what was expected of her, but he didn't, he couldn't be in the same room as her or he'd lose it.

Bonnie stole a glance at him from the door before following his assistant. She was so proud of him, ever since they were kids this has always been his dream, their dream, but her situation changed and she couldn't fulfil it with him. She couldn't even begin to explain to him what happened to her, she couldn't fully understand it herself and she wondered if maybe coming back here was a bad idea, he obviously hated her. He had every right to after the way she left, and she had to take it like a woman then, when he was ready to hear it, she'd tell him everything.

* * *

_"I wish I could make you understand..." she said caressing his cheek as they both cried and he clung onto the hand on his cheek willing her to just stay with him, but he'd already seen it in her eyes, she's already closed herself off and he couldn't get to her anymore._

_"I love you, Salvatore" she whispered and gave him one last kiss. Then, just like that, she was gone._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Article was inspired by Iris West-Allen

_To understand what I'm about to tell you, you need to do something first, you need to believe in the impossible. Because all of us, we've forgotten what miracles look like. Maybe because they haven't made much of an appearance lately. Our lives have changed and drifted us apart because we don't share the same destiny, but we were never meant to. Decisions we've made have moulded us into who we are today and we can't blame anyone else for how our lives have turned out except ourselves._

She closed her journal and went to go get herself some coffee from the canteen. She was early, earlier than most, but it was still her first week and she wanted to make a good impression. She finally met Matt, great guy and an even better boss which she appreciated seeing as Stefan was avoiding her like the plague. "Hey, sorry I didn't know anyone was in here" a brunette said from the door, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Hey, no it's fine I just came to get some rocket fuel otherwise I'd never make it through the day" she said referring to the cup of coffee in her hand and he chuckled at that.

"Rocket fuel?"

"You know, from the movie October Sky?" She said enthusiastically getting a little excited, she loved old movies.

"Yeah, no I got it, but isn't that movie like twenty years old?"

"Yeah, it a classic" she said making him smile even more. "You're an interesting character, newbie. I'm Jeremy Gilbert, sports journalist".

"Oh, you're Elena's brother. I met her a few days ago, her and Caroline, great girls. They really made me feel welcome. My name is Bonnie, by the way, Bonnie Bennett".

"Nice to meet you, Bonnie Bennett" he said finding her rambling a little adorable, "Well if you need anything feel free to ask".

"I appreciate that" she said in gratitude. "Well, let me leave you to your coffee" she said and walked out of the canteen.

Stefan stood by the window of his office and watched her have an animated conversation with Elena's little brother. He ignored the clench of his chest at the sight of her smile, a smile that could bring any man, including himself, to his knees, but that chapter in his life was closed. His heart wasn't strong enough to let her in again, or anyone for that matter, which is why it was good for him to keep his distance.

"Stefan" Elena said from the door and he reluctantly pulled his eyes from the image below his office and turned to look at Elena. "What is it, Elena?"

"Bonnie finished the story she was working on, Matt needs you to look at it before it goes to printing" she said and he nodded. "It's in your emails".

"Thanks" he said and she turned to leave, hesitating at the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"It's just that ever since Bonnie started working here you've been...off, and you've been hiding out in your office instead of out on the floor, where you usually are".

Has he really been hiding and did people notice? That's not the kind of boss he wanted to be and she wasn't going to let her resort him to hiding out in his office. He refused to give her that much power. "Maybe I should go say hi later" he said fixed on his resolve.

* * *

Bonnie was busy writing her next puff piece when a tablet slammed on her desk making her practically jump out of her skin. "What the hell?!" She jumped and looked up at the person responsible.

"Do it again" Stefan said looking down at her and she looked at the tablet in front of her with the article she wrote a few days ago. "Why? Matt said it was good".

"And I'm telling you to do it again. We didn't become the best paper in this town by doing subpar work".

"Subpar?!" She barely kept herself from yelling like she wanted to and had to remind herself that this was her boss. "That article is good, I know it is and you're telling me to rewrite it?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying" he said bending down to her level, but not getting too close. He was abusing his power and they both knew it, but he didn't care.

"You're being unfair, Stefan".

"Mr. Salvatore" he corrected and she gritted her teeth before spitting out, "Mr. Salvatore". She knew exactly what he was doing, he was trying to get her to quit, she didn't think he'd stoop so low, but if he wanted to play games she could too.

"If you can't do what is required of you as per your contract then you're more than welcome to quit".

"No, I'll write it again" she said giving him her best fake smile which he recognized instantly. Ten years apart and some things never changed. "Happily".

He hated that determined look in her eyes, she wasn't going to back down and maybe a part of him didn't want her to. They didn't realize they were just sitting there staring at each other until Jeremy cleared his throat behind them.

"Sorry to interrupt".

"It's okay" Bonnie quickly replied before Stefan could say anything, but she could still feel his eyes on her. "What's up, Jeremy?"

"Uhm, it's almost lunchtime and I was wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch at The Grill" he said sounding a bit nervous, and she stole a quick glance at Stefan, who was looking right at Jeremy with an expressionless face.

"Uhm, I just have a few things to sort out, but I'll come find you okay?"

"Okay, great" he said before awkwardly waving at their boss.

"You're dating, Jeremy Gilbert now?" He asked bitterly, watching her unpack and she stilled her hands because he had no right to ask that question like that, like she's causing him some kind of pain when he made it clear that he was only her boss and refused to hear her out.

"I just met him, he's nice and it's none of your business, Mr. Salvatore" she said putting more emphasis on his title and it felt like she might as well have just stabbed him in the heart right there and then. He grabbed her hand as she got up to keep her from walking away, but something distracted him from what he was about to say and he felt like he'd gone back in time right then to when he'd given her the ring currently holding residence on her left index finger. It looked a bit worn in, but still exactly how he remembered it. Her face softened a bit when she noticed what he was looking at and all of a sudden she was a teenager all over again watching her boyfriend get down on one knee after his football game and she almost cried right then.

She could see the unspoken question in his eyes when he looked up from her hand as if he'd asked it out loud.

_You're still wearing it?_

"I promised" she whispered taking back her hand. She couldn't get into this with him now, she wasn't strong enough to and Jeremy was waiting for her so she left him there sitting on her desk.

* * *

The relief she felt when Caroline and Elena invited themselves to her lunch date with Jeremy overwhelmed her more than she thought it would, not because she thought he'd try anything, he didn't seem like that type of guy, but after what went down with Stefan at her desk she wasn't ready to be alone with a guy right now and she didn't want to give Jeremy the wrong idea.

"So Bonnie, where did you move from?" Elena asked as they sat down. "Not any one place" she started, trying to keep it simple so they wouldn't ask a lot of questions. "I was born and raised here in Mystic Falls, but I moved to Salem before my senior year. Studied Journalism in New York and stayed there for a few years before finally deciding to move back here".

"Cool, so you're like a Mystic Falls OG" Jeremy said with a charming smile, "We all moved here a few years ago when Matt hooked us up with this gig. We all grew up together at Whitmore, which is where we met Stefan, in college”.

  
“Yeah, he went to Mystic Falls High too, which is probably how you know him” Caroline said trying to catch her on their lie. She wasn’t an idiot she knew that they had history, anyone with eyes could see it, from the way he would watch her from his office, or how she always became more nervous and twisted that ring on her finger whenever they talked about him, like she was doing now. There was also that whole scene at her desk, they seemed to be having a heated argument, but it was their body language that intrigued Caroline, they seemed drawn to each other unconsciously moving closer to one another, and the way Stefan looked at her with such intensity was enough to make anyone feel like they were intruding on a private moment.

  
“Well his family was the richest in town so it would’ve been hard for me not to know of him, but he was a jock and I was a nerd and those don’t seem to mix. I just stayed below the radar for the most part” she partially lied and even though the two seemed to accept her answer, Caroline was harder to convince, but she would let it go for now.


	3. Chapter 3

“That’s bullshit, you’re being intentionally dense and you know it!”

  
“Oh that’s real nice, you know you basically just insulted most of our readers, right? Some of them might not understand what you’re trying to say, Bonnie!” To say everyone in the entire office could hear them go at it in Stefan’s office was an understatement. They’ve been going at it for what felt like hours, but was probably like thirty minutes and no one thought they still knew what they were fighting about.

  
Matt walked up to Stefan’s closed door and saw Elena glued to her chair scared to make any sudden movements. “Are they still going at it?” he asked and she nodded.

  
“What’s it about this time?”

  
“He thinks her writing is too complicated to understand and told her to write it again and she lost it” Elena whispered, scared that they might hear her and turn their anger on her.

  
“This is getting ridiculous” Matt said reaching for the door and intending to put a stop to this. This was a place of business and not a place for them to sort out whatever personal issues they might have with each other.

  
“Instead of whining you could just get the hell out of here and do what I’m paying you to do” Matt heard Stefan yell just as he opened the door and saw Bonnie yank her tablet from Stefan’s hands. “Of course, Mr. Salvatore” she said and pushed past Matt, almost knocking him over as she stomped out the door, slamming it behind her.

  
“What was that about, Stefan?”

  
“An employee who doesn’t take criticism well, clearly” Stefan said walking around his desk to go take a seat. “Bullshit”.

  
“Really, you too with the language?”

  
“She’s been working here for a month now, Stefan and you still haven’t eased up on her. At first I thought it might just be the fact that she’s new, but now I’m starting to think it might be something else” Matt said taking a seat across his friend.

  
“There’s no conspiracy here, Matt, let it go” Stefan said looking down at his work, feeling a little frustrated by her scent in the air. “If that’s really true then lay off. I’ve seen some of her work and it’s great. She might be the best writer we’ve ever had and I don’t want to lose her”.

  
“She not gonna quit if that’s what you’re worried about” Stefan said without looking up from his laptop. “How can you be so sure?”

  
“I’m sure” he said and it was clearly all he was going to say about the matter. In the nine years they’ve known each other Matt has never seen him like this. Stefan was the guy you went to if you needed help, he was such an empath that he would feel bad for complete strangers he would never see again and yet when it came to Bonnie, he was this cold and mean person that no one recognized and he wasn’t going to lie and say he wasn’t curious as to why that is. He was starting to consider that maybe she was someone from his past, a past he didn’t know about. It never really bothered him that Stefan was private sometimes, but now it was starting to influence his judgment at work and he couldn’t have that and for the sake of peace and quiet he needed to get to the bottom of it.

  
“I can’t believe her” Stefan groaned and ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he looked at the email Bonnie just sent him. “What is it?” Matt asked curiously and instead of answering Stefan just turned his laptop for him to read for himself.

_Once upon a time there was a very bad man who decided he needed more money than he already had. He thought to himself ‘hm, how can I make money quickly and easily?’ and then it came to him in a dream, he could take it without asking from Mystic Falls Bank. The man set his plan in motion then and went to the bank to take what belonged to the people of Mystic Falls with nothing but a mask and a weapon that made bang bang noises, also called a gun. Needless to say, it was not a very good idea because the police came and took him to a house where he will learn that it’s not good to take things that don’t belong to you._

  
Matt let out a laugh, which he quickly covered with a cough after seeing the disapproving look on Stefan’s face. He quickly looked at the subject line which read:  _I dumbed it down for you, Mr. Salvatore._

  
Matt had to give it to her, she clearly knew how to press Stefan’s buttons. He watched him friend walk over to his window which basically overlooked the entire office and saw Bonnie already looking up at them from her desk and gave them both a sweet smile and a wave. Matt walked up in time to see this and awkwardly waved back while Stefan just looked at her as if he was about to kill her. “She’s so freaking frustrating” He heard Stefan mumble, but Matt thought he was probably talking to himself rather than anyone else so he didn’t respond.

  
He didn’t miss how Stefan stiffened next to him though when Jeremy approached Bonnie’s desk, gaining her attention and when he turned around he saw a different kind of murderous look on his partner’s face before he turned away from the window and sat back down on his chair again. “Is there something going on there?” Matt asked as he took his seat again as well.

  
“I don’t care”.

  
“Really? Cause it looked like you were about ready to kill Jeremy when you saw him walk up to her desk” he pushed, which, in hindsight, probably wasn’t a good idea when Stefan slammed his fists onto the table, making him jump a little. “Damn it, Matt, let it go”.

  
“Fine, but just remember that nothing ever stays hidden for long”.

* * *

“Hey, Bon” she heard him greet from behind her, snapping her out of her staring contest with Stefan and she turned in her chair to look up at him. “Hey, Jeremy”.

  
“Everything okay? I kinda heard your screaming match with Stefan” he said sitting on the edge of her desk. “Oh my gosh, you heard that?!” she asked a little embarrassed and he nodded “Yeah, I think the entire office heard the two of you”.

  
“Oh no no no no” she groaned into her hand, covering her face in absolute embarrassment. No wonder everyone was staring at her when she walked back to her desk. “Jeremy, tell me you’re kidding, please tell me you’re kidding” she pleaded grabbing a hold of his arms and he shook his head.

“I’m afraid not”.

  
“Well how much did you hear?”

  
“Other than you basically calling our boss stupid, everything, we heard everything”. She just laid her head on her desk, completely covering her face. “It was pretty cool how you held your own, I think everyone has a lot more respect for you now. You, Bonnie Bennett, has officially lost your newbie status”.

  
“Gee thanks” she said lifting her head up slightly. “Thanks for making me feel better” she said with a smile as she lifted her head.

  
“No problem. So I was thinking maybe we should go celebrate you becoming a full-fledged member of The Mystic Post, how does dinner for two sound?”

  
“Jeremy” she groaned because he was relentless. She already turned down a date with him and told him that she was in no condition to be dating someone right now, not when she was in love with Stefan. You’d think ten years would help you get over someone, but seeing him just made it seem like no time had passed at all so it would just be cruel to date him knowing there was no future for them.

  
“I know I know, but you can’t blame a guy for trying right?”

  
“No, I can’t”.

  
“And for the record, this guy you’re so hung up on is an idiot for not recognizing what he has when he has you”.

  
“Thanks Jeremy” she said with a warm smile, but really it was the other way around because if she really cherished what she and Stefan had then she wouldn’t have left, right? “Have a good day, Bennett, and try not to pick a fight with the boss, okay?”

  
“I didn’t pick a fight, okay? He’s the one…” but there was really no point in finishing that sentence because Jeremy was already gone. She turned back to look though his window again, but he wasn’t there and she groaned in frustration because Lord knew what conclusions his brain jumped to.

* * *

_Bonnie sighed in relief when she found him at the falls watching the water crash onto the rocks below. She’d gone to look for him in the boys’ locker room after spending time at the library during practice so that they could walk home together, but she got distracted by Tyler Lockwood and by the time she’d gotten rid of him Stefan was already gone._

  
_When she didn’t find him at his house she knew there was only one other place he could be, The falls. He always came here when he was feeling upset or lost and judging by the look on his face the former was true this time._

_They stood there for a good fifteen minutes, without him even acknowledging her existence before she decided she’s had enough. “Okay, what’s wrong with you?”_

  
_“How could you agree to go to the dance with that asshole?! You of all people know the kind of crap I go through with that kid and yet you still agreed to go with him!” He went on a rant before the question was fully out of her mouth and it took her a full second to realize who he was talking about. Tyler Lockwood, he’d stopped her to ask her to the dance and seeing as he never seemed to get the picture when she flat out said ‘no’ she decided to try a different route._

  
_“I was being sarcastic! My goodness, you are so bad at reading sarcasm, Salvatore, and if you’d stuck around for the entire conversation then you’d know that!”_

  
_“Oh” he said feeling kinda stupid all of a sudden and she shook her head disapprovingly because he could be so hot-headed sometimes._

  
_It was the last dance of their middle school career before heading to high school and she couldn’t think of going with anyone else other than her best friend, who lately she’s been seeing in a completely different light. “Stefan, can I ask you something?”_

  
_“You can ask me anything, B” he said sincerely seeing the serious look on her face. “When you thought I was going to the dance with Tyler, were you just upset because you hate him or was there a different reason?” she asked quietly, unable to look him in the eye and he thought it over. Was he upset that she was going with Tyler or would he have been upset if any other guy had asked her? Of course he knew the answer to that question, he’s known for a while, but he didn’t know if he was brave enough to take that step with her. “I just want you to be happy, B” he said and that seemed to upset her judging by the ‘what?’ look on her face. “That’s not an answer and you know it”._

  
_“What do you want me to say, Bonnie?”_

  
_“I want you to be honest with me, but I guess that’s too much to ask for” she said a little louder than she intended before shaking her head at him when he didn’t say anything. She was about to leave him there when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her flat against his chest, eliminating any space there was between them and captured her lips with his in a soft kiss, their first kiss for each of them and when they pulled away she gave him a dazed look._

  
_“I want you to be happy with me”._


	4. Chapter 4

Somehow she knew something was wrong the moment she stepped foot into the office the next morning. It was just a feeling she had that something was off, but she could not put her finger on what it was so for now, she decided that she’d just continue with her morning as normal. She was supposed to go over her next issue with Stefan before it went to the printers this morning and he wasn’t there yet. She can’t quite recall when this became a thing, but it was one of the few things she looked forward to because even though it left her feeling drained and exhausted, at least she got to spend some time with him and that was enough for now.

  
“Morning, Elena” she said walking up to the assistant’s desk who gave her a warm smile in return. “Hey, Bonnie”. She tried not to be threatened by the newest addition to their team, but Elena wasn’t an idiot, she could see the way they looked at each other, the way he was around her and if he wasn’t fighting with her then he was looking at her from his window. What she and Stefan had wasn’t much and she knew that going in, she just hoped she could change his mind since she liked him so much, but then Bonnie came and it was like she didn’t exist anymore.

  
“Is Stefan in?”

  
“Uh no, he won’t be coming in today” she said snapping out of her thoughts and Bonnie furrowed her brows in confusion. “Why not?”

  
“Because today’s the 22nd, every year on the 22nd of April he never comes in. No one knows why, but we respect him enough not to ask” Elena said. She kept talking after that but Bonnie didn’t seem to hear any of it after Elena said 22nd April and it hit her like a ton of bricks, almost knocking her off her feet.

“Bonnie, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost” she said quickly going to get her a glass of water and all Bonnie could think was she might as well have.

  
“Here, drink” Elena said handing her a glass of water. She quickly downed the drink, but it did absolutely nothing to calm her rapidly beating heart, how could she have forgotten.

  
“Bonnie, I’m gonna need you to breathe, come on breathe” Elena was saying and she didn’t even realize she was hyperventilating until right then. She followed the girl’s instruction, feeling herself gain semblance of control of her emotions. “I need to go. I-”

  
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll tell Matt”.

  
“Thank you” Bonnie said gratefully before bolting for the door as tears stung her eyes. “Shit” she cursed as she got into her new car and sped down the road. In the back of her mind she knew she probably shouldn’t be driving in her current state, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. “Shit shit shit shit shit” she said banging on the steering wheel repeatedly.

* * *

_There was a knock on the door. They’ve had a bad feeling since he left and didn’t return ten hours later and the knock on the door only seemed to cement their suspicions. Bonnie was the one to get off the couch they’ve been sitting on for the last five hours hoping he’d walk through the door and tell them that he went a little nuts for a moment there, but that now everything would be okay because he was back and he wasn’t going to leave again._

_But life wasn’t fair that way, instead it gave you a knock on the door at two in the morning with a police officer on the other side about to turn your entire world upside down. “Is this the Salvatore Boarding House?” The officer asked once she opened the door with shaky hands and she nodded, but instead of letting him in she stepped outside and closed the door. She didn’t want Stefan to hear this, she wanted to be the one to tell him. Better your best friend completely shatter your world than a complete stranger, right? She didn’t even know if that made sense, but it’s what she was going with so she looked up at the police office and waited for him to tell her what happened._

  
_“There was an accident”. The man was driving drunk when a truck hit him as he drove into town. ‘He was coming back’ was the first thing she thought as the police officer continued to tell her what happened. “We found a wallet close to the wreckage belonging to a Damon Salvatore, and it led us to this address” he said handing her the wallet and when she opened it, right there was a picture of him and Stefan. She remembered taking that picture, it was during one of the few times Damon wasn’t working and he’d taken them to the lake for the day and she’d taken the picture of them looking happier than she’d ever seen them._

  
_“We’re going to need someone, maybe his parents or something to come and identify the body”._

  
_“It’s just his brother, he’s the only one left”._

* * *

She’d barely put the car in park before running towards the door of the boarding house. She opened the door, happy to see that even after all these years he hadn’t learnt to lock his door even after all the traumatic home invasion stories she’s told him about over the years, she never believed Stefan had a death wish, but sometimes it was in the little things he did that made her think that maybe deep in his subconscious, he did. She was about to rush up to his room to look for him there when she saw a glimpse of him sitting in front of the fire place as she walked past the parlour. She stopped in her tracks and walked into the parlour. He looked terrible, like he’d been up all night, with a glass of bourbon in one hand and that same picture from all those years ago, on the other and without even looking she already knew that his eyes would be bloodshot red from crying all night.

  
He didn’t look up when she finally came around and kneeled in front of him, but he let her take both the bourbon and the picture from his hands and she wordlessly led him up the stairs towards his bathroom to get him showered. She helped him out of his clothes, but kept him boxers on and turned on the shower. She sat him down on the toilet seat so that she could shave his stubble. It was all so familiar, so natural as she thought about how she’d done the exact same thing for him the day they had to go bury his brother. The only thing that was written on his stone was _Damon Salvatore, loving brother_ and it might not have made sense to other people as to why they wouldn’t say more, but to Stefan, it was everything because only a loving brother would drop out of school and get a job to take care of his little brother, only a loving brother would shield his brother from the harsh realities of this world, and that’s what Damon Salvatore was, a loving brother.

  
When Stefan was showered and dressed in his pyjamas she helped him into bed so that he could some sleep and was about to go make them some food when he held onto her hand and whispered the one thing she wished she had the juts to do all those years ago, “Stay”. She drew in a sharp breath, but refused to cry at how broken his voice sounded. She cried enough in the car and she wouldn’t anymore so she just nodded, not trusting her own voice and crawled into bed with him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, nuzzling his head in her neck, breathing in her scent and for the first time in ten years they both got a good night’s sleep.

* * *

_“Don’t be like me, Brother, like any of us” Damon said referring to the rest of their family. They didn’t have the best childhood, their mom passed away shortly after giving birth to Stefan and their dad was a drunk that abused them, well mostly Damon and who killed himself on Damon’s sixteenth birthday while Stefan was still ten years old. They met Bonnie and her family shortly after when Bonnie’s dad was handling their case because they lived with them for two years after Damon begged him not to put them in the system and Rudy Hopkins became their foster parent until Damon turned eighteen and became Stefan’s legal guardian._

  
_“Do you think we’re fated to have a tragic ending like the rest of our family?” Stefan asked curiously as he watched his brother drink his bourbon in front of the fire. “Not you, you found your Bonnie”._

  
_“Maybe you will too someday” Stefan said hoping his brother believed him, but it was really hard to get through to him when he was all doom and gloom like this, but he always believed that of all of them, he would be the one to survive and Stefan didn’t want to let his brother down._

  
He woke up with tears in his eyes from the dream of his brother and took in his surroundings, recognizing his room and remembered the events of the day. He thought it might have been a dream, but the sleeping woman in his arms proved him otherwise and he almost couldn’t believe that she remembered, ten years later and she still knew how to take care of him. He ran his free hand through her hair and he was suddenly mournful for a completely different reason. Where had the time gone? What happened to them? He really wanted to know because looking at her now he still saw the same girl he promised to marry back when they were fifteen.

  
She stirred then and snuggled further into his chest. He kissed her forehead, making her hum in her sleep and that sound alone made him believe that they could make it work this time, that he could forgive her for leaving as long as she stayed this time because she was his just as much as he was hers, they were a part of each other and nothing could ever change that. “Wake up, sleepyhead” he whispered in her ear and she groaned, she was never a morning person and he was glad that hadn’t changed. “Five more minutes” she mumbled burying her head into his chest and he smiled mischievously because five minutes was never five minutes with her so he casually let his hand slip under the blankets and started tickling her mercilessly.

“Ahh! Stefan stop!” she screamed laughing and tried to wiggle her way out of his arms, but he wasn't letting her go. “I’m sorry! I'm up, I'm up!”

  
“What was that?”

  
“I'm up! Now please stoooop!” she whined through her fit of laughter as she laid on her back with Stefan hovering over her. They were only a breath away when he finally showed her some mercy. She felt his grip tighten around her waist, almost as if he was scared she might disappear and she swallowed hard when she saw his eyes move from her eyes to her lips. As much as she wanted him to kiss her right then, she didn't want to do it until he knew the truth, a truth she was terrified to tell him. “Stefan?” she whispered, her voice shaking a little bit from their proximity.

  
“Hmm” he hummed, his eyes still glued to her lips. “Are you okay?”

  
He looked her in her eyes then, making her see the sincerity in his eyes. “I am now” and she almost cried. “what time is it?” she asked instead trying to defuse the heat that was rising up between them and tried to push against his chest to get some distance but he wouldn't budge and looked up at the clock beside the bed. “five in the morning” he said turning his head to her again and the way her eyes bugged out was almost comical.

“Stefan, I got here yesterday morning, how did we sleep that long?”

  
He shrugged, unbothered by it. “I guess after ten years we both needed it, I know I did” he said kindly as he lifted him hand to caress her cheek and she melted against his touch, she didn't realise how much she missed him until now. “I missed you” the words slipped through her before she could stop herself because this was such a bad idea and he was looking at her lips again and if she didn't get out of there now then she never would. “I should go home, and go get ready for work”.

  
“You really don't”

  
“Yes, I really do” she said pushing against his chest again, more aggressively this time and that gave her enough space to crawl out from under him. “So I'm gonna go”. He watched her frantically pick up her shoes and jacket and he almost laughed at how frantic she looked, trying to find her other shoe. “By the door” he pointed to where her shoe lay by the door and she gave him an unamused look at the humour she could clearly hear in his voice. “Just…eat something before you get to the office, okay?” she said from the door where she'd retrieved her shoe. “I'll see you later” and just like that she was gone and as he laid back on the bed he could almost hear his brother say the same words he'd said to him back when he was fifteen and had given him their mother's wedding ring, the same ring that rested on Bonnie's left index finger.

  
_You found your Bonnie._


	5. Chapter 5

Stefan shut his computer, giving up the pretence of looking like he was being productive when he wasn't and wondered why he came in today when he clearly wasn't in the frame of mind to do so.

His eyes wondered to where they always do, but she wasn't at her desk. Where the hell was she? He was about to go ask Elena when his door opened and Matt walked in and closed the door behind him.  
"Hey man".

"Hey"

"You feeling alright? You know you didn't have to come in today if you weren't feeling up to it" Matt said taking a seat in front of him and Stefan turned his chair around again to face him. "Can't expect my employees to work their hardest if I'm at home slacking off. Besides, this helps".

Matt nodded then, accepting his answer even though he was worried about him. "Listen Stefan, I know you don't want to tell me what happened, but if you ever did, my door's always open".

"Thanks" he said gratefully, he really did hit the jackpot in the best friend department and he really hoped that he could talk to him about it someday. "Hey, have you seen Bonnie?"

"She's covering a story, she'll be out all day" Matt said and immediately saw the disappointment on Stefan's face, but he didn't comment on it. Matt knew anyway, he thinks they all did.

"You want to go out for drinks later?" He asked and Stefan nodded after glancing down at Bonnie's desk one last time. "Sure".

* * *

This was such a bad idea. The thought kept repeating itself in her mind, but she stood her ground or, more accurately, kept herself hidden behind the corner wall of the Mayor's house.

The mayor was holding a press conference at his house to address the increase in drug trades in their little town and how he was planning to put a stop to it, but Bonnie didn't trust the mayor as far as she could throw him so she wanted to investigate, which is why she was hiding right now. The mayor was hiding something and she was going to figure out what it was.

Ever since Mikael Mikaelson became mayor drug trading in Mystic Falls has increased by 60% and she didn't think that was a coincidence so she'd do some digging of her own. She watched the reporters file out of the Mayor's house from her hidden corner and once everyone was gone she followed the mayor.

"Are those fucking vultures out of my house?" She heard him ask someone who looked like he could be part of his security team. "Yes sir".

"Good, now call Silas and tell him to get his ass over here".

Bonnie knew that name, in fact she thought everyone did. He was Mystic Falls notorious drug lord after all, and you had to be living under a rock to not know him. What was the mayor doing calling a drug lord? She thought anxiously, hoping she doesn't get caught.

She doesn't know how long she waited before Silas came bursting through the doors of the Mayor's office, but it must've been a long time judging by the look of impatience she could see on the Mayor's face. "What the hell took you so long?"

"I'm not one of your lackeys Mikael, I don't come on command" he said in a way that made her blood run cold as he sat down and if she didn't know better she'd think the mayor was a little scared of him. She was about to piss her pants and he didn't even say that to her. "I have business to take care of so get on with it".

Bonnie took out her phone and started taking pictures of the two of them together, she could've taken a video, but her phone was about to die. She was working on instinct here and didn't exactly think this through. "The people of this town are starting to get suspicious, I need you to lay low for a while. At least until they get off my ass".

"I'm not doing shit. I'm not about to lose money just because you don't know how to use the power you have" Silas said leaning over the table. "You want to stop, fine, but I smell a cop on my ass and I'm coming after you first".

* * *

The grill seemed to be livelier that it usually was, with people dancing and singing karaoke. It was kind of disconcerting and he wanted to leave, but he promised Matt a drink so he'd stay rooted in his seat with his friend, who was watching Elena and Caroline make a fool of themselves on stage while Stefan faced the bar.

Something didn't feel right. He kept looking at his phone wishing she'd call or text just so he knew she was okay. They haven't exactly been pin pals since she got back, but he needed to know if she was okay because the feeling he was having wasn't going away.

Matt saw him looking at Bonnie's name on his contact list and reached for the phone, taking it from him. "Nope, none of that brooding stuff, not tonight. You can talk to her tomorrow".

"Something's wrong".

"Nothing's wrong, Stefan" Matt said shaking his head. "Look at the girls, they're having some fun and you should too so I'm confiscating your phone".

"No, Matt, something's really wrong", and then he couldn't take it anymore. "I'm leaving, I gotta go find her" he said already halfway to the door and Matt chased after him, grabbing his shoulder so he'd turn around. "No, you don't! Stefan listen to me, whatever hold this girl has on you, you need to let it go man, she's not worth it!"

"You don't know what you're talking about".

"Then please tell me!" He said a little louder than he'd intended, but Stefan was frustrating him. Ever since Bonnie got here he didn't recognize him. They seemed to have attracted some attention, along with Elena, Caroline and Jeremy, who walked towards them in order to figure out what they were arguing about.

Stefan looked at his friends standing before him, patiently waiting for him to say something, anything and he finally decided to put them out of their misery. If he was being honest, he was tired of being this big mystery to them.

"Bonnie and I grew up together. We've been together since we were ten and when we were sixteen, on April 22nd, 2007, my brother died in a car accident. We didn't have the best relationship, but he was the only blood relative I had left. He took care of me, made sure I was dressed and fed and happy, even though he wasn't. The day before he died we'd gotten into an argument about his drinking, we said somethings that were stupid and that I will regret for the rest of my life, and he said he was leaving so he left. Bonnie and I stayed up for 12 hours waiting for him to come back, but all we got was a knock on the door" he said remembering that day clearly. He'd been so upset that Bonnie had to give him some muscle relaxers. Elena and Caroline already had tears in their eyes and Matt regretted bringing it up because it was clearly affecting him, but Stefan pushed on.

"She went out and talked to the police officer at my door at two in the morning and closed the door so I wouldn't hear. Damon was just as much a big brother to her as he was to me and yet she went outside in order to protect my feelings and when she finally came back inside the first thing she said to me was 'He was coming back'. She left a year later, never told me why, but I have to believe it was to protect me because that's who Bonnie is, it's who my brother was". Caroline's phone went off then, but Stefan was still talking so she slipped away to answer it.

"She's not just some girl that has a hold on me, Matt, she's the only family I have left and something's wrong so I have to go find her".

He was already at the door when he heard Caroline call his name and he was about to tell her he didn't have time when she stopped him. "Bonnie's been arrested".

* * *

She was sneaking around the huge estate trying to find her way out when they caught her and called the police. She made her attempted escape after Silas left and her phone had died, satisfied with the pictures she took. Lucky for her they thought she was sneaking in instead of sneaking out so the security guards didn't call Mikael to tell him a reporter was sneaking around the yard and just called the police.

The police took her into custody, charging her with trespassing and told her she had one phone call, one. She definitely knew who she didn't want to call, not with how awkward she is around him right now, no. She couldn't call Matt either because he would just end up telling Stefan and that would just put her back at square one so she decided that her best bet was Caroline. She was the one least likely to tell him if she asked her to.

Making up her mind, she used her one phone call on Caroline and told her what happened and now all she could do was wait for her to come get her.

She didn't have to wait long because the officer who arrested her came to the holding cell about half an hour later, told her somebody posted bail for her and gave her stuff back. She groaned in despair when she walked into the station's reception area and saw the very last person she wanted to standing there with a group of their friends. She considered escaping, but he turned around as soon as the thought crossed her mind so she sighed and marched forward.

"Really Caroline?" She said in disbelief when she was close enough, tossing her hands in the air and the blonde gave her an apologetic look.

"No, don't talk to her, talk to me. What the hell were you thinking, Bonnie?" The police officer must've filled them in on what she was doing. "Can we not talk about this here?" She whisper shouted, making him to look up and check where they are. He groaned and grabbed her stuff from her hand before leading them all out of the police station.

When they were all filed in Stefan's car heading to the boarding house, Caroline finally broke the awkward silence from where she sat in the backseat with Bonnie sitting between her and Elena while Matt sat in the passenger seat. "So why the secrecy?"

Bonnie gave her a confused look which cleared after Stefan filled her in. "So you told them everything?"

"Yeah, I'm not upset anymore, Bonnie, it's important you know that" he said sincerely, looking at her through the rearview mirror and she gave him a weak smile before looking away. "Are you okay?" She asked knowing that if he told them everything then he told them about Damon, which was a touchy subject for him.

"I'm okay" he said and she looked at him through the mirror again.

"Will you watch the road?!" Caroline snapped, watching them make googly eyes at each other through the mirror. "And you guys didn't even answer my question, not that it was much of a secret cause everyone could see it".

"See what?"

"That you two are head over heels in love with each other". That made Bonnie blush, suddenly thankful that her skin tone couldn't expose her, but neither of them disputed it.

"And the arguing wasn't helping, all that pent up sexual tension-".

"We get it, Caroline, we all noticed" Matt was the one to speak up as he chuckled.

"Can we get back on track please?" Stefan asked, focusing on the road again. "Bonnie, what were you doing sneaking around the Mayor's house?"

* * *

After she filled them in on what happened Stefan dropped everyone off at their respective homes before heading to the boarding house. They were almost there when Bonnie realised he wasn't going to drop her off. She was so tired that she hadn't noticed.

  
"Stefan my house is the other way".

  
"I know".

  
"So why aren't you taking me there?"

  
"Because you're going to be staying with me" he said with finality.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Get your asses out of bed, Kiddies" Damon yelled as he barged into Stefan's room at what Bonnie saw was six in the morning, on a Saturday, because he was a crazy person._

_"Stef, you can try and deflower your girlfriend later, right now you guys need to get up" he continued and Bonnie thanked Jesus in heaven for her darker skin as her ears burned. They weren't doing anything, just sleeping, but at last night's game Stefan practically proposed to her during the half-time show so the ring on her finger was kinda making her want to do stuff to him._

_The kind of stuff that would make her dad send her to a nunnery if he ever caught wind of the thoughts in her head._

_"Damon, it's six o'clock in the morning and I'm not trying to get up at six o'clock in the morning on a Saturday" Stefan groaned from beside her, seemingly unaffected by his last comment._

_"Well I hate to break it to you there baby brother, but I'm your legal guardian and I say it's time to get up" he said and it was Bonnie's turn to groan in annoyance._

_"I got a day off" he said, and that caught their attention because working two jobs and attending night school never gave Damon a day off, until now apparently._

_"Damon I swear to God if you're lying I'm gonna kick your ass up and down this boarding house" Bonnie said being the first to recover from what he just said and they were both wide awake now._

_"Your sixteenth birthday is coming up soon, and I won't be here for it so for a few months now I've been begging and pleading with my bosses to give me today, and they did"._

_Stefan got out of bed then and hugged his older brother while Bonnie stayed under the covers with tears in her eyes._

_They ended up at the lake just outside town where they had themselves a little picnic by the quarry._

_"So that proposal last night was sappy, huh?" Damon commented as they set up their picnic._

_"It wasn't a proposal, Damon, it was a promise to propose, someday" Stefan said wrapping his arms around Bonnie's waste from behind, "We're only fifteen there's no rush"._

_"Yeah, not making it any less sappier there, Stef" Damon said to which Bonnie rolled her eyes and hit his arm._

_"You know, there are blonde girls, brunnettes, tall girls, short girls, bubbly girls, girls of all shapes and sizes and you had to pick the violent girl"._

_And Bonnie gave him a head start for that one before chasing after him, her promise to kick his ass still firmly on the table._

* * *

_"So, what happened yesterday?" Damon asked taking the spot next to her on the edge of the cliff Stefan jumped off of only moments ago talking about how it made him seem more daring. Bonnie wanted to ask him who exactly he wanted to be daring for because she's basically known him her whole life and daring never came to mind when she described her boyfriend._

_But then he kissed her and he jumped off the cliff so it became a moot point._

_His triumphant howl came moments later and she looked down and shook her head fondly as she watched him swim towards the edge._

_"I'm not taking care of him if he breaks something" she said instead hoping he'd let it go._

_It was over so what was the point in bringing it up again._

_"Liar" he said handing her the sandwich she'd asked him to get from the car. "And don't think I didn't notice that, Bennett, now spill it"._

_"Why?" She asked already feeling the weight of it on her shoulders and it made her feel exposed. "It's not like it'll change anything"._

_"It'll take the load off, make you feel better" he said and bumped her shoulder before continuing "Or it'll atleast give you someone to be pissed with"._

_He smirked and she could tell he already knew because of course he already knew. "How'd you find out?"_

_"The school couldn't reach your dad so they called me"._

_"What's the point in me telling you then?" She asked, slowly unwrapping her sandwich._

_"Because you were actually there" he said and he sounded so sincere because he really wanted to know how she felt about it._

_There were times Bonnie would question how the Salvatore brothers were even related from how different they were, and then there were other times, like now when it was so clear to her._

_So she took a deep breath and turned slightly towards him before starting, "This girl in my class, Dana. She said something about us"._

_"What did she say?"_

_"She said she finally understood why a hot guy like Stefan would date a girl like me, she said any guy who's dad killed himself would lose their head once in a while"._

_She'd said it so casually that Bonnie would've sworn she was talking about the weather and not other people's lives_

_She saw Damon's fists clench as he restrained himself from lashing out like he wanted to and got a sudden wave of deja vu, only she hadn't restrained herself._

_It's why the principal had tried to reach her father, she'd punched that girl in the face._

_He looked down at the bandaged hand then and actually smirked. "You're savage, Bennett"_

_"Yeah, I guess I am" she scoffed and cracked a smile when Damon bumped her shoulder again, it was his way of acknowledging their bond. They were family and they'd always protect each other._

_"Does Stefan know?"_

_"I told him I hurt my hand during cheerleading practice" she said finally taking a bite out of her sandwich._

_"I told you those pyramids were dangerous" he said as his way of saying thank you and her smile broadened._

_"Okay, now let me show you what a real cliff dive looks like" he said getting up and jumped off the cliff before she could tell him she wasn't going to take care of him either._

_They were sitting across from her having their lunch and laughing when Bonnie took their picture and as she looked at the picture on her phone she decided right then that this was the best day ever._


	7. Chapter 7

_Your heart never prepares you for loss. It never tells you that it's time to let go and so when it happens, when you lose someone it leaves you shattered and you never get to say the things you wanted to._

_'You are the best person I've ever known' gets stuck in your throat and is replaced by quiet sobs because they will never get to hear you say that and you're left stuck._

"Bonnie".

Her breath caught in her throat at the sound of his voice. She'd been avoiding him since he told her to stay with him.

That was a week ago and she only let him have his way for one night, but then she remembered the one person missing from their family and she ran.

She's been avoiding him ever since.

She closed her laptop and looked up at her boss from her seat at The Mystic Press. He looked tired and Bonnie could tell he wasn't sleeping, neither was she.

"Yes, Mr. Salvatore" she said professionally and tried to ignore the way he flinched at the title.

"Could I have a word for a moment?" He asked and she wasn't sure it was a good idea to be alone with him right now.

"Um, I was actually-"

"Right now, Miss Bennett" he said firmly, tossing his weight around and she reluctantly got up and followed him to his office where he closed the door and walked closer to her until they were sharing the same space and Bonnie tried to fight the urge to take a step back.

"You've been avoiding me" he said and she didn't deny it, just stood there with her heart hammering against her chest as she felt him take her hand.

This was such a bad idea.

"Stefan".

"Do you remember when I gave you my mother's ring?" He asked softly, and they both looked down at the ring on her finger. Of course she remembered, she remembered everything because all these moments kept replaying themselves in her head, even the bad ones.

"Do you remember what I said to you?" He pushed and she nodded, her eyes still on the ring as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I said I wanted all of you..."

"Because I accepted all of you" she finished for him, and she never questioned how he could so easily say those words at fifteen because she knew him and she knew he meant it.

He used his thumb and forefinger to gently lift her chin so she could see the smile on his face. It was exactly as she remembered it and it made her unsure of herself because she didn't deserve it, not anymore.

"Stefan-"

"And I still mean that, Bonnie whatever you're trying to protect me from we can get through it, just tell me what it is" he said sounding passionate all of a sudden, eliminating what little space they had between them.

"I can't".

She really thought she could, but she didn't want to take that smile away.

"Yes you can, Bonnie please" he kept pushing and the tears started to spill over. "I love you so much, please, please tell me what happened to you".

"Stefan, I said I can't please stop pushing me!" She cried, finally stepping away from him.

"Did you stop loving me, is that it?" He asked getting frustrated with her and she felt like she just got punched in the stomach. She was the love of his life, it wasn't supposed to be this hard.

"What?! No, and don't you dare ever say I don't love you when you know I've loved you since we were ten years old!"

"Then just tell me, damn it!" He said grabbing onto her arms, pulling her to him again and the words came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Damon's dead because of me!"


	8. Chapter 8

_The score was 21-6 and it was half-time already._

_They still had time Bonnie kept repeating in her head, two more quarters for them to pull it together because they’ve worked too hard to get to the championship final to lose it all now. This was their final game of the season and she refused to believe that they would go out like this._

_Stefan caught her eye from the field and she gave him a warm smile. They were tired, it’s been a long season and Coach Tanner pushed them past their limits the entire time, preparing them for this moment and as much of an ass the man was, they wouldn’t be here without him, or each other._

_“They need motivation” Bonnie told her best friend, Emily, her eyes still locked on Stefan’s and she noticed he looked nervous, but he had nothing to be nervous about because they still had time._

_“You wanna play it now?” Emily asked pulling out the tape from under her skirt and Bonnie nodded, it’s what’d she made it for. She barely noticed Emily head to the sound table when she saw Stefan take off his helmet and hesitate for a moment before making his way over to her, while ignoring the protests from Coach Tanner._

_“I have these friends. Life didn’t deal them the best cards and they were knocked down at a very young age”. He stopped halfway across the field and looked at her in shock when her voice came on over the speakers, and the noise seemed to die down in the stadium._

_“They had to learn to pick themselves up and move forward. They had to learn to be strong not only for themselves, but for each other because they were all each other had and they had to teach themselves to survive this life, to be strong and keep pushing despite the pain, and despite being knocked down again and again._

_The pain gave them character, shaped them and made them who they are and who they continue to be every day because they never gave up, they kept moving forward believing that life had a better future for them than what they already had, it had to, and that’s what they believed._

_Their story reminded me of this team, how they stuck together, motivated each other and carried each other through the storm. They reminded me what we stand for as a team; faith, strength, trust. We don’t just play to win, we play for each other so that each of us know we are appreciated even if it doesn’t work out and we can still hold our heads up high knowing that we never quit._

_So they are my inspiration for this article; they taught me to push and believe that there was nothing we can’t do, even when the world seems to have turned its back on us”._

_The stadium was in an uproar the moment she was done, school spirit was buzzing through the bleachers and Bonnie knew that this was what it was all about. She barely saw him coming before she was swept off her feet by her boyfriend and he wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her passionately right there in the sidelines in front of everybody._

_“I want to make you a promise right now, Bonnie Bennett, before I lose my nerve” he said, catching his breath as he placed her back on the ground._

_“Yeah?”_

_“Yeah, you’re a gift I never saw coming” he started with both his hands on either side of her face as he placed his forehead against hers while she held onto his sides so he couldn’t get away. “I used to think Damon was as much good as I was going to get in my life”, his breath against her lips as he spoke made her shiver and she was sure her knees would give out if he didn’t kiss her again soon. “But then you came along¸ a whirlwind of a girl with big green eyes and cotton candy hair”. She let out a breathy laugh then and punched his chest, which made him laugh as well. She was raised by a man, what her hair looked like back then was not her fault, but she’s gotten a better handle on her curls since then._

_“I want all of you, Bonnie” he said and she almost missed the sparkle that reflected from the ring in his hand when he grabbed her left hand and slipped it onto her index finger. “I want all of you because you somehow accepted all of me”. He admired the ring on her finger for a moment before looking up at her again “This is my mother’s engagement ring, and I promise you that one day that’s what it will be for you too”._

_And she only noticed she was crying when he wiped away her tears and she finally found her voice. “Well until then, I promise to never take it off”._

_Then he kissed her again before she collapsed because she was no longer able to hold herself up._

_“Now go give me something good to write about in the school paper”._

* * *

 

 

“What did you just say?” Stefan whispered, the wind knocked out of him from what she just said and all the fight left him along with it as he stumbled back from her.

“A few months after Damon died, I- uhm, I got a call from Abby” she struggled to get the words out, but didn’t miss the shock in his eyes as they filled with tears. The pain she could see in his eyes started to blur from the tears in her own eyes, but she forced herself to keep her eyes on him, because he deserved the truth and she’d promised herself that she’d tell him.

Abby left them when she was four years old, packed up her stuff in the middle of the night and left without so much as a goodbye because she realised that being a wife and mother was never part of her plan.

So she left.

What Abby hadn’t realised though was that her daughter would grow up to blame herself for her leaving because maybe she’d made her mad by not behaving the way she was supposed to so that her mom wouldn’t just leave them. She’d grow up unable to look at the pain in her father’s eyes she’d think she put there. Abby didn’t realise any of this because she wasn’t there.

She wasn’t there to watch her husband struggle to style her daughter’s natural hair, or see Bonnie cry herself to sleep after praying for the millionth time for her mother to come back. She wasn’t there for her first recital, her first kiss or for when Bonnie had to grow up and finally accept that her mother was never coming back.

“Bonnie”.

And Stefan was never supposed to find out about Abby the way he did.

They were fighting over something she couldn’t even remember now, but what she did remember was what she said to him just before he walked out the door. She told him he was lucky his mother was dead because he didn’t have to deal with the rejection of knowing that his mother was out there and didn’t even want him. He never made it out the door after that.

He was right in front of her when she saw him clearly again, wiping away her tears and she remembered she was telling him about how Damon died.

“The police wanted her to testify against her boyfriend at the time and they were going to keep her under witness protection” she said feeling as hollow as she did back then. After begging her not to hang up, Abby told her the story. She’d gotten caught up with some bad people and her boyfriend owed them money.

“She was going to ask dad for the money, but he wouldn’t give it to her and she was going to leave us alone” Bonnie said looking up at him again, she promised that she’d leave them alone.

“But her boyfriend found out that we knew the Salvatores, and about your inheritance, which was left to the eldest brother”.

If only they knew Damon didn’t want any of it though, if only they knew that he wanted to make something of himself without the tainted money their parents left them none of it would’ve happened and Damon would’ve been alive, but all they saw was the money that would give them their freedom.

“They cut the brake lines of his car thinking he was the only one left and that I’d inherit the money” she said, her voice cracking at the end as more tears flowed from her eyes and the pain in Stefan’s eyes mixed with confusion.

“Damon, he put me in his will” her voice was shaking as she said it and suddenly she couldn’t breathe, but her mother didn’t read the fine print because the money was supposed to be split between her and Stefan. The lawyer called her after she’d already left Mystic falls with Abby.

_“If you stay here, they’ll find out about that boy of yours and they’ll kill him too, I can’t protect both of you, Bonnie”._

“And I left with her, even though every single bone in my body screamed for me not to, I left with her because Damon’s death was still so fresh and I couldn’t handle losing you too so I left before they found out about you” she whispered trying to catch her breath.

She was under witness protection with Abby for six years before they caught that whole gang.

“Why didn’t you come back after that?” he whispered against her cheek, pulling her to him again, and helping her breathe.

“Because I was a coward” she said, that was only partially true though. She did come back, once, to pay her respects to Damon, and to apologize for what knowing her did to him because she did blame herself, she still does.

Because of her Damon would never see how Stefan turned out.

She also succumbed to the temptation of seeing him for herself so she’d stalked him at home and at his new company, but she never had the guts to actually go talk to him. He was happy, and that was enough.

“I don’t deserve you, Stefan” she whispered, removing his hands from her face. “I wanted you to know the truth, and now you do. I’m so sorry”.

“Bonnie-” he tried to reach for her, but she evaded his touch.

“I’ll come back for my stuff” she said and ran out the door before he could stop her.

* * *

 

 

_It was happening again, his subconscious was tormenting him and he was seeing her when she wasn’t really there._

_He stood outside his new building looking around for the ghost from his past because he was stupid enough to think she was really out there. The same way he did when he heard a car pull off from his house and he thought he saw a glimpse of her in the drivers’ seat._

_But she wasn’t there._

_“You okay there, buddy?” Matt asked. He came after him when he noticed him rush out there door looking for something._

_“Yeah” Stefan said scanning the street one last time before seeing the worried look on his best friend’s face. “Yeah, I’m fine”._


	9. Chapter 9

Bonnie stumbled through the door of her childhood home after barely being able to open the door through all her tears and shaking, and fell to her knees right there in the hallway as she hyperventilated.

This place still looked exactly the same, she thought absentmindedly as she tried to get her breathing under control. All these years and her dad hadn't changed a single thing, and she remembered everything that ever happened in this house.

_"Hello?" She answered her phone, wondering who was calling her. She was heading out the door to go visit Stefan when she got a call from a number she didn't recognize. She almost didn't pick up again, but after her phone rang three times from the same number her curiosity got the best of her._

_"Bonnie, is that you?" Came a frantic voice from the other side. "Please don't hang up"._

_"Who is this?"_

_"It's me baby, it's your mama"._

_She wasn't sure why she didn't hang up right then as her heart pounded against her chest and she had to lean against the wall for support because she was sure her legs were about to fail her._

_She said she wanted to see her, to tell her everything that happened, but Bonnie shook her head and tried to keep her tears at bay._

_"You lost that right thirteen years ago when you abandoned me"._

_That realization snapped her back to her senses and she was really about to hang up when Abby said the one thing that broke the dam completely._

_"It's about Damon Salvatore"._

_So she didn't go to Stefan's that day like she planned, instead she went to the grill to meet her estranged mother. It was the way she was shaking and twitching that tipped her off._

_She was on drugs._

_But Bonnie wouldn't know for sure though until they were living together in a safe house and Abby was showing withdrawal symptoms. She wouldn't know that this was Abby's penance before she'd decide she couldn't do this anymore and end her own life after a six year long case._

Bonnie could still remember just crying about it when she found her lifeless body in their living room with a suicide note on the coffee table Bonnie never brought herself to read. She couldn't even hate her for it because she'd done it, she helped Damon get the justice he deserved.

* * *

 Stefan wasn't sure how he'd been sitting there looking at her desk from his office. He wasn't sure how it had been since she dropped her bomb and left, all he knew was that nothing would ever be like it was.

The knock on his door pulled him from his brooding and he turned his chair around in time to see the door open to reveal Matt, with a worried look on his face. He knew Bonnie left, he got her resignation about two hours ago, along with a note that said she was grateful for the opportunity he'd given her, but that she had to leave.

He was about to head to Stefan's office to see how he was doing when he got a notification for a blog post that was trending and quickly opened it, thinking nothing of it at the time, but once he was done reading it he knew he couldn't keep it to himself so he grabbed his tablet and headed to Stefan's office.

"Are you okay?" He asked walking further into the office.

"I don't want to talk about it Matt".

"I can respect that" he said taking a seat across from him, the worry still very much present in his eyes though.

"What do you want then?" Stefan asked, hoping to move this along so he could brood in peace, though he knew his best friend probably wouldn't leave him alone looking all broken like that.

"You know how the police said they can't use the pictures on Bonnie's phone because they were obtained illegally?" Matt responded with a question of his own, he hated when he did that.

"Yeah, what about it?" He grumbled incoherently and Matt handed him his tablet instead.

"Take a look at this".

"What am I looking at here?" Stefan asked taking the tablet from his hands and reluctantly opened it.

"It's a blog post. Read it".

Stefan gave him a skeptical look before looking down at the words on the screen and started reading.

_Mystic Falls is my home, born and raised._

_I still remember heading to the grill every day after school with my best friend turned boyfriend and just staying there the whole day until we absolutely had to go home where we'd do homework and try not to think about the empty house we were in because his brother was at night school and my father was yet again out of town._

_It didn't matter though because we had each other and we would always protect each other no matter what, but growing up like we did you learn pretty quickly that not even your best friend can protect you from the dark thoughts in your mind once the lights went out, and I knew from a pretty young age that letting the past consume me so much was keeping me from being the person I was meant to be, but just because I knew it didn't mean I accepted my past, or could move on from it._

_You see, I lost my mom at a very young age. First to drugs, which was something my four year old mind couldn't wrap it's head around. How could it be that one day she was there and the next she was gone? I'm sure a lot of you can relate to it though...losing someone so suddenly, in whatever way it happens._

_Then I lost her the other way._

_Drugs took my mom away from me and now our mayor is bringing more of it into our town and profiting off of it instead of putting a stop to it like he's supposed to._

_This man whom we trusted with our families and our wellbeing because he promised us a safe space where our children could grow up in and have children of their own._

_He has formed an alliance with people who seek to hurt us and tear our families apart and the only way we can stop them is if we stand together and say no more._

_We need to expose our mayor's corruption and put a stop to the crime committed by people who are supposed to have our best interests at heart._

_We need to stand up for ourselves and our families, and we need to start now._

It was signed anonymous, but Stefan could recognise that writing anywhere. The attached pictures of Mayor Mikaelson having a shady conversation with a known drug dealer in his office was kind of a dead giveaway too and when he looked up at Matt he could tell that he knew it too. "That girl's something else".

"Yeah, she is".

He got up suddenly and grabbed his jacket and keys.

"Where are you going?"

"I gotta take care of something, I'll be right back" he said and rushed out of his office, kicking himself for letting her walk out again.

* * *

 

Bonnie was driving out of town when she was drawn to where she had her best memory and took a quick detour.

She stood at the quarry, looking over the cliff with the wind in her hair. If she concentrated hard enough she could almost hear Damon calling her a savage while Stefan's laugh rang in her ears from the water below because he'd finally succeeded in being daring like he wanted.

"That was the best day ever".

She jumped a little at the sound of his voice, not expecting him to be there, but she should've known he would find her evantually since he always knew her better than she knew herself.

"Even better than when I proposed to you" he continued, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him so she kept her eyes on the water as she said "I thought it was only a promise".

"We were fifteen, a real proposal wouldn't have gone over very well with your dad, who had a 9mm".

She huffed in amusement at that, thinking how her dad never let him forget it either and finally allowed herself to turn around and look at him.

"What are you doing here, Stefan?"

"I'm here because you're a flight risk, and I'm tired of letting you slip through my fingers".

He took a cautious step closer as if he was scared she'd run off at any minute and took her left hand in his.

"I'm sorry about your mom".

"Why? She took everything from us" she whispered, her eyes glued to their intertwined hands and she knew he read her article.

"But she was still your mom, she risked everything to make things right and despite everything else, I guess I'll always be grateful for that" he said and her voice caught in her throat because Stefan has always been annoyingly perceptive and he would always speak what she felt.

When the wind picked up again she knew she needed to get going before it got dark, but her legs wouldn't let her move.

"Surprisingly, I feel closest to him here".

"Yeah, me too" she whispered, the tears building up in her eyes.

"The biggest thing he ever wanted for me was to live, for both of us to live Bonnie" he kept his eyes on her and squeezed her hand to get her to look at him. "This isn't how he'd want us to do it".

"So what do you want to do?" She finally mustered up enough courage to look at him and the love in his eyes took her back to when they were kids and they figured out that they'd always feel this way.

"I want to amend my promise" he said, slowly pulling the ring from her index finger. "I want to promise to never let you run again, as much as you might want to. I promise to keep loving you even after we've both left this earth and I promise to always keep you safe. I just want one thing in return".

"What's that?"

"I want you to promise to be my wife".

Her voice caught again and she didn't trust her own voice as her tears flowed openly now so she only nodded while he slid the ring into the right finger, and Bonnie was sure that was where it'd been all along.

"I love you, Stefan Salvatore" she barely got the words out before he pulled her into a passionate kiss that was so familiar that it was as if no time had passed at all.

"I love you too".


	10. Epilogue

_**3 December 2024~Six years later** _

Stefan was roused awake by the tapping against his face and he opened his eyes to come face to face with his son, Damon, his emerald green eyes looking at him happily.

"Morning buddy" he rasped and ran his hand through his son's curly hair.

"Daddy it's my birthday today" he said bouncing excitedly and Stefan had to calm him down before he woke up his mother.

"Yeah it is, buddy. Happy birthday" he said kissing his forehead and quietly got out of bed. "Come on, let's go make you a birthday breakfast and let your mama sleep a little longer okay?".

"Okay".

Stefan put on a t-shirt then picked his son up and placed him on his shoulders, walking out the door.

"How old are you today, buddy?"

"Four" he said happily as they made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Stefan deposited him onto the counter.

"So what are we having today?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes!" He shouted excitedly, raising his arms over his head which made Stefan laugh, the kid was something else.

"Chocolate chip pancakes it is".

Stefan was almost done making their breakfast when Bonnie wobbled into the kitchen. "What smells so good?" She hummed getting their attention and Stefan rushed to help her into the kitchen giving her a sound kiss.

"Morning honey, how'd you sleep?"

"Good, for once your kids didn't keep me up all night" she said walking towards the baby she already birthed while Stefan went back to preparing the rest of their pancakes.

"Morning mama".

"My baby" she gushed kissing him all over his face. "Happy birthday".

"Thank you, mama".

"Promise me something, Damon baby" she said holding his face in her hands, making him giggle as he nodded. "Promise me you won't grow anymore, okay?"

"Okay, mama" Damon said happily and Bonnie gave him a big hug, while Stefan looked at them in amusement as Bonnie got emotional all over their son.

"Bon, you're freaking him out".

"Do not start with me, Salvatore" she snapped at him, still holding her baby against her chest.

"Okay my beautiful family, breakfast's ready".

It wasn't until after breakfast that they took Damon to the quarry for the first time to celebrate his fourth birthday. It was a small event, but they invited a lot of their friends along with some kids that Damon played with around the neighborhood.

While setting up the picnic table with Caroline and Elena, Bonnie got a sense of deja vu.

_"You_ **_had_ ** _to pick the violent one"._

She let out a soft chuckle at the memory as tears stung her eyes and turned her head to notice her husband holding their son by the waterfall, facing the other way and she didn't have to guess what they were talking about.

"Your uncle Damon brought your mom and I here when we were kids, he was always a very busy man, but he did his best".

"Do you miss him?" Damon asked laying his head on his father's shoulder as he listened carefully. Every year Stefan told his son a little bit about his name sake, he wasn't sure how it started, but it became a tradition that was very important to them.

"All the time, but you, Damon, you help keep his memory alive. It's why we named you after him".

"And also because I will take care of my little sisters too?" He asked looking up at his father curiously.

"That too, always" he reassured him affectionately and the little boy gave him a warm smile and said "I miss uncle Damon too".

"He's always with you, Damon, and me, your mom and your sisters" he said and kissed his son before letting himself remember everything his brother had ever sacrificed in order for him to be the man he was today. He would always be grateful to him for that.

"As long as we remember him, he'll always be here".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it guys! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Leave a comment and Kudos


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